TechnicRCRacer

I’ve been able to clean light corrosion off the rods with great success using Deoxit contact cleaner. The cylinder rods look practically brand new after using it.

I wish LEGO had chosen to make the edges of the bent finned panels have a smooth curve instead of an angular one. When used as a transition piece between straight finned panels it feels a bit jarring.

Possibly a black thin bevel gear in the new Gameboy set! Look on the left side, it’s used as the contrast dial.

The red wedge belt wheel is a surprise, that part had been very expensive on BrickLink for a long time. Nice spot!

What magazine is this where there are seven pages of Technic? In the USA the most recent official catalog has only two.

Unusual recolors in the Nike set — 92909 in orange and 11950 in white (New Elementary)

I used this model as an excuse to learn Bricklink Studio and made free digital instructions for it! I also uploaded it to Rebrickable and this link should go live when it is approved: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-220067/TechnicRCRacer/wheel-loader-with-grabber/#details Thanks for the compliments; I was definitely going for a 90s vibe since I recently bought a copy of 8446 and thought it looked interesting.

It's been a long time, but I finally got the itch to build again. I thought it would be neat to copy the claw-grabbing feature from 8479 without the use of flex cables. So, I spent the evening messing around with Dark Turquoise parts and freelanced this wheel loader: \ The main feature of the model is that it uses one gear to close and lift the claw (like 8479). Turning the gear closes the claw, and when the claw cannot close further (either at the end of its travel or when grasping an object), the whole assembly pivots upward. Since the gear is set behind the central pivot point of the model, steering can be done just by pulling to the side without needing a second knob. There is also a mini inline-4 engine in the back. Side profile: The claw in action: I thought it would be weird and interesting to use Bionicle feet for the exhaust: It may not be pretty, but I'm satisfied with it as one evening's work. I am thinking about adding this to Rebrickable (were I haven't added any of my MOCS to since 2018!) but need to find out if there's a better method to making instructions today than taking hundreds of photos on carpet. Maybe I will make a second version when the Valkyrie comes out! Those wheel arches would be handy. -TechnicRCRacer

The color is unusual for LEGO and I love it!! As a dark turquoise fan, I’m thrilled!

Someone found an interesting prototype part I thought was worth mentioning here. Apparently it has an official part number molded inside. It is a rubber track with hard plastic connectors molded in. I have no idea how recent it is and I bet it probably won't be released. https://www.theqelement.com/part/1222/?color=8&mold=1283

Looks like we get Dark Turquoise and Vibrant Coral axle joiners as well.

The update looks good and the poll works for me. I am just glad that the horrible pop-up ads on mobile are not showing anymore.

Are you in the USA? I’ve just opened my copy and all the bags are plastic. I’ve been seeing European reviewers receive sets with paper bags for over a year and I haven’t gotten a set with them yet.

Somebody on Flickr posted a 1977 prototype 48 tooth gear.

It sure looks like the new Reddish Orange color to me, interesting.

I love dark turquoise! I’m glad to see so many recolors and finally get the #4 connector in turquoise released officially. The set itself looks very interesting and I’m glad it’s not just another car.

Did I miss something? Does anyone know why the 1:8 super car hasn’t been announced/released yet? We had the Ferrari Daytona on June 1st 2022.

There’s a pearl gold #4 connector in the Ninjago set 71820.

Interesting to see fiber optics return, a neat callback to old Technic / Exo Force. Looks like the new hub has six fiber optic ports, four on front and two on back.

42165 has flex axles in Dark Turquoise! I’m probably the only one excited about this recolor.

Nice spot! The green double bent liftarm has been pretty hard to find outside of BrickLink, I wonder what other parts are hiding inside.

I’m not understanding, is this reddish orange a new color or an existing one? It’s hard to tell from the photos. Also it seems tires are not color locked anymore, surprising and cool!

I've made some more progress on the model, mainly the area hosting the compressor and differential lock valve. Since this model will be packed with functions, I decided to forgo the interior of the cabin and place the two function motors and compressor inside. I also did some work on the front of the model; the red and dark green parts are placeholders. Here's a view of the underside: I don't have the remaining two wheels yet The next steps are building out the cab bodywork and roof, routing the pneumatic hoses, and building the base of the pneumatic crane arm. I imagine routing the hoses and finding places for the manual valves will be the toughest part of the model.

If time permits, I plan to enter this new contest, it seems exciting! I have settled on a 6 wheel drive crane truck with rugged tires and several pneumatic functions. Currently I have the drivetrain working with a pneumatically locked central differential. Once I work out the front end, I will add the compressor and start on the crane. My plan is to have an XL motor for drive, a servo for steering, an L motor for the compressor, and another servo to operate the valve for the diff lock.

I still see sink marks in beams from 2001. The main aspects I see decreasing in quality are color consistency and part tolerances. The Land Rover I got earlier this year has very inconsistent coloring and some bricks had weaker clutch power. But, when taking inflation into account, LEGO sets (price per part) have become significantly cheaper than they used to be in the 90s. I do agree that at their current price point these sets are subpar in quality and because of this I have been avoiding buying several sets.